Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-05-05

rae Senatorial Game Compared with
the science Displayed bT Assem-
hlymen.
I NeI1 York San. I


ALBANY, April 26.-Poker is the favor
lie game with all classes Of Legislators.
There aee plenty Of gambling houses
here, bat the Senators do not frequent
them. II is perfectly proper for an
AsseDblymaa 10 do 50, and many Of
them do, but when q man sttsins the
dignity Of Senator be Is supposed TO be
above playing faro or roulette in q
common gambling house. No one can
recall when this distinction between q
Senator snd an Assenhlyman arose, tut
Il is nov strong.
Bat poker is another thing. There
are any number Of private poker rooms,
besides little games that members have
in their own rooms. For Q while this
winter il seemed as II hearts would
divide the legislative affections With
poker, but after brief hey-day the new
game collapsed. Fhs biggest poker
nights OF the session haven't come yet.
They are on the night boat at the end
Of the session, when the members who
have booked the $500 Of their salary,
which is kept until the last day, try to
vim il fro2 the members who didHt
hook theirs, but have just drawn 10.
There baven't been many bills 30 far
With money in them; 30 the legislative
game has not been very high. The usual
limit IL 81 30, opening a jackpot for bali
there is IN Il and q $40 limit when the
isokpot, after being opened, is over go,
though occasionally jaekpets are played
fer table stakes. Ibis is the light,
peaceful game that an ordinary evening
10 whiled away with. after q cham
payne supper or other festive occasion,
or at the time when the players will
trust each other, or the banker will give
credit for chips, the game goes on.
These. however. are rare occasions, ano
an investigator preparing treatise on
legislative poker would not mention
them except 10 q special chapter.
Legislators are Great on iackpees.
They have s0Ft Of fascination %
mach 90 that 10 play with back 10
quite popular, and IN games where there
are six or seven players the advisability
siasred. The nrst-term Assemblymen,
IS rule, are opposed 10 she introdae-
ton Of any more backs, some Of them
thinking tnst normal tackpOts even are
9 costly invention.
BY nature Assenblymen blun mere
| frequently than Senators, and net 81
hieh. A Senator realizes that the proper
theory Of bluh 10 n0t 90 much for im-
mediate gain. thoagh that always shoald
be considered, as fer future iBorement.
He therefore puts up big blud on top
| Of good sized pot. The AsseDblyman
is less far sighted In bis reasoning, and
puta Q llttls bluff ip Q moderate pot on
the chance Of getting H. This fsliaey
though it occasionally enables an As.
/ semblynan 10 yin from o Senator, in
the long run makes fat the Senatorial
parse.
As Fuls Senators and Assemblynau
DO not play together. A poker sreWc
Of Aassmblymen may take Ia q Senator
II be viii - far unbend as 20 come, and
Senators may allow favored Assembly.
man 10 lose bis money 10 them, bat thai
is not freqasnt. The Senator has {
dislike fer frequent iaekpots. and q
back IL used only In moments Of enuui
There have been O fsW bie winnings
and losses, bat SIS viii cover the or.
dinaFy Illustrations Of the game, and
leave q margin 10 most cases. Ne one
hiss become bAnkraps at 10 yet. and
there have been no scandals. Politics
do not exist around the poker table
though the Republicans. being from ths
country. where money ID scarce, play Z
little closer game than The Nsw YoFA
| Denosfata.